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Crock Pot Chicken Fricassee from A Breath of Snow and Ashes

"Less EAT, Mummy!" Jemmy piped up helpfully. A long string of molasses-tinged saliva flowed from the corner of his mouth and dripped down the front of his shirt. Seeing this, his mother turned on Mrs. Bug like a tiger.

"Now see what you've done, you interfering old busybody! That was his last clean shirt! And how dare you talk about

our private lives with everybody in sight, what possible earthly business of yours is it, you beastly old gossiping --"

Seeing the futility of protest, Roger put his arms round her from behind, picked her up bodily off the floor, and carried her out the back door, this departure accented by incoherent protests from Bree an grunts of pain from Roger, as she kicked him repeatedly in the shins, with considerable force and accuracy.

I went to the door and closed it delicately, shutting off the sounds of further altercation in the yard.

"She gets that from you, you know," I said reproachfully, sitting down opposite Jamie. "Mrs. Bug, that smells wonderful. Do let's eat!"

Mrs. Bug dished the fricassee in huffy silence, but declined to join us at table, instead putting on her cloak and stamping out the front door, leaving us to deal with the clearing-up. An excellent bargain, if you ask me.

Diana Gabaldon, A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Chapter 21)

There's nothing like a little post-fracas fricassee to return those embroiled in emotion to calm. The rich sauce focuses the mind with singular intent, and the wholesome mix of slow-cooked chicken & veg comforts even the most adrenaline-charged maelstrom.

Unfortunately, when you're that pissed off, you don't really feel like sitting down to dinner, do you?

Not for awhile anyway. We'll just keep it warm...

If you're a fan of Julia Child, then you may recognize Chicken Fricasse from her repertoire. In fact, when I started my search for a traditional fricassee recipe, I turned to Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking first. But whereas Mrs. Bug would have used one kettle to cook her stew, Julia managed to dirty every pan in the kitchen by cooking all of the components of this dish separately.

And that doesn't work in the modern Outlander Kitchen. I'm sure all of us would rather be reading than doing the dishes. Or at least sneaking a peek at DG's Daily Lines. ;)

So I took Julia's recipe and simplified and condensed it my very own Crockpot Chicken Fricassee receipt -- one that I'm pretty chuffed about. It makes for some very tasty Outlander-inspired eats, if I do say so myself.

And while it uses (by my count) 3 pans, including the slow cooker, it's got nothing on Mrs. Child's.

Don't be daunted by the long recipe. The method is simple, the ingredients basic and once everything is in the crock pot (about 30 minutes prep), you can turn it on and walk away for a good part of the day.

The sauce is quick to finish just before serving and is the highlight of the dish -- without it, this is simply a chicken and vegetable stew -- thickened with egg yolks, the sauce adds a luscious authenticity to my modern-day adaptation of this classic French dish.

And for those of you trying to cut the calories, don't be afraid of the cream, just go a little lighter on the sauce when you serve. But please don't skip it, you'll be missing the best part.

The potatoes are the only non-authentic component of the dish. Traditionally, a fricassee is served on rice, but in the spirit of making clean-up as easy as possible, I went with tatties and threw them in with everything else.

Method

Pat the chicken pieces dry. Mix together the flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Dredge the thighs in flour one at a time, shaking off the excess.

Heat a large heavy frying pan over medium-high. Heat the olive oil and butter until bubbling and fry half of the chicken, skin side down, until light golden, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and fry another 3 minutes on the second side. Remove to the crock pot and repeat with the other half of the chicken.

Toss the mushrooms and potatoes with the lemon juice, then nestle them, along with the onions, carrots, garlic, butter, bay leaves and thyme in amongst the chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the stock and wine, and rock the crock pot gently to settle and mix.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Move the oven rack to the top position and preheat the oven to 300°.

When the chicken and vegetables are tender, turn off the crock pot. Discard the garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and vegetables to an oven-proof dish, and keep warm in the oven, uncovered, while you finish the sauce.

Strain the cooking liquid from the crock pot into a medium saucepan. Use a spoon to skim the surface of fat, then reduce the liquid over medium-high heat until it measures about 1½ cups. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Beat together the egg yolks and cream. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid into the cream mixture and stir well, then add the cream back into the saucepan and stir constantly until hot, and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste and keep warm.

When the sauce is ready, turn the oven’s to broil to lightly brown and crisp the chicken’s skin, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Divide the chicken and vegetables on 4 plates and spoon over the sauce.

Ideally, you want to use a white chicken stock in a fricassee, to keep the colour light. However, if you have homemade brown chicken stock and use that instead, no one but you will ever know. If you use store-bought stock, go easy on the salt when you're seasoning the rest of the dish.

Comments

Kea

wow. i love Julia's recipes, but tend to only make them when i know there's plenty of time for preparation AND plenty of clean-up motivation... I never thought to try to condense the recipe to "one" pot! mmmm Genius! Will try this in next week's menu for sure.nnPs I play a game now with OK pics... it's 'spot the goblet' :)

Liz Czepiel

Donna

Simple is always better in my book! I will have to try this soon - it looks great for a cold winter evening. Love the matches on the side - so appropriate with the narrative about Brianna, the fiery red heid!

Theresa

You're so right about it being perfect for a cold winter's evening, Donna! As for the matches, if Mrs. Bug would just stop putting babies in her belly, Brianna may eventually get around to showing them all her latest invention! ;)

Theresa

Lisa K

What white wine would you recommend using to cook? My husband is the wine drinker, and he drinks pink stuff from a box (bleh). I myself prefer a strong ale. Everytime I've tried a recipe with wine as an ingredient, I never seem to get the right kind. No somalier here. Please recommend? Not necessarily a brand, but a type. Darling Husband will drink what I don't use. :-)

Theresa

Tina -- you can use chicken breasts, but you'll want to cut down the cooking time to 2.5 to 3 hours...cut the potatoes and carrots a little smaller to make up for the shorter cooking time, and check the chicken to make sure the breasts aren't drying out to much. Enjoy! Theresa

Theresa

The Suzzzz

Food and Outlander...I can't believe it has taken me this long to find your blog! I'm so glad I saw your recipes on tastykichen.com, now I've got you added to the food blog roll on my site. Can't wait to try these dishes, my husband is going to laugh and call me a dork, but he likes the Outlander series as much as I do.

The Suzzzz

I don't own a crockpot but I had everything for this at home (that NEVER happens when I find a good recipe) so I threw it all in my french oven and put it in the oven at 250F on my lunch break. Now I'm slacking off at work wanting to ditch out early to go home and eat. My manager is going to regret the day I found this blog.

Kate

Salt Rising B…

day, and you should, if all goes well, have 2 fresh loaves of bread for your efforts. Start some Crock Pot Chicken Fricassee after you put the dough into the pans for its second rise, and youll have an

Theresa

Debbie Michaels

I'm making this for the first time, just got it all cozy in the crockpot. Wondering: would the buttermilk biscuits be too much to serve with it? nIf I don't completely mess it up, I'll post pics later...no promises!! LOL!

Theresa

If that truly shocks and horrifies you, I don't recommend traveling back to 18th C Scotland.nnSarcasm aside, I'm glad you like the recipe. But if you have a problem with my photo, why not email me privately instead of attempting to engage in some sort of public shaming? It's bad form and obnoxious. And I'm getting really, really tired of people hiding behind their screens.nnThere is absolutely nothing unsafe about any of the food preparation in my kitchen. And that's all I've got to say about that.

Lisa (Book Blab)

Good for you, Theresa! As a book blogger, I have had an occasional run in with people who speak up in a way they would never do if that person were right in front of you. Raw chicken on a wooden cutting board? Hello! Welcome to my life. As long as it is put in the dishwasher or washed in hot enough water it's not an issue. nnSheesh! Proud of you, girl. nLisa

Theresa

KRhodig

She is a chef, she isn't stupid, she knows how to keep her cutting boards clean and disinfected after use....don't badger her because you don't like what kitchen utensils she is using, what do you think they did before plastic was invented...geesh

Theresa

The Suzzzz

Wow Mike, really? Really?? #1 - She is cooking in her own home, the health code doesn't enter into it. #2 - I've placed raw meat and poultry on my wooden cuttings boards and NEVER had a food born illness problem. You know why? I know how to properly cook meats to temperature and I now how to thoroughly sanitize my prep area...and Teresa actually being a professional, I'm sure she's even more thorough than I am. #3 - Compliment sandwich much? That never works. #4 - You don't call someone out in a public comment, if you have a problem you deal with it one on one. Grown up, until you do, get the hell off the internet.